| Main Line Through Upper Norrland | |
|---|---|
The railway line at Döda Fallet in northern Sweden |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Railway |
| System | Swedish railway |
| Termini | Bräcke Boden |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1894 |
| Owner | Trafikverket |
| Character | Mostly freight |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 626 km (389 mi) |
| No. of tracks | 1 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Electrification | 15 kV 16⅔ Hz AC |
The Main Line Through Upper Norrland (Swedish: Stambanan genom övre Norrland) is a 626-kilometre (389 mi) long railway line between Bräcke, Jämtland County and Luleå, Norrbotten County in Sweden.[1] For military and regional policy reasons, it was built in very sparsely populated areas, far away from the more densely populated coast. The line has several branches to settlements on the coast, the ones to Umeå and Luleå being considered part of the line itself. Today the three largest settlements along the line is Boden (pop 18800), Älvsbyn (pop 5500) and Vännäs (pop 4100).
The line is dominated by freight traffic. In 2010, the Bothnia Line opened, which parallels the Main Line Through Upper Norrland along the coast from Sundsvall to Umeå. The North Bothnia Line is under planning, and will allow high-speed trains to run to Luleå. The railway also has two passenger night trains per night and direction, and between Umeå and Luleå one day train per direction.